This invention relates to an apparatus and method for generating three-dimensional computer graphics illustrating the movement of a figure or a portion of a figure on a display. More particularly, the invention relates to the use of actuators to provide realistic movements of the figure.
Video games are becoming more and more prevalent and challenging to the players. As a consequence, there is a strong demand for movements of the game figures to be realistic. In the past, when a figure moved on a video game, it was represented as a blur or with prerendered animation. However, the technology formerly associated with video games is now being used more widely in an area commonly referred to as multimedia. Multimedia includes the preparation and showing of displays or business presentations, interactive presentations and even motion pictures. Consequently, the requirement for realism in the movement of the characters, or a portion of a character, has become paramount to the program developers.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,426, there was disclosed a process for displaying, on a display screen using three-dimensional computer graphics techniques, hair modules of human or animal hairs. Each hair module is constructed of a plurality of rod shaped hair elements. The magnitude and direction of an external force applied to each hair element is designated. A deformation quantity of each hair element is obtained such that the external force having the designated magnitude and direction equilibrates with an internal force generated by the rigidity of each hair element. The shape of each hair module is determined in accordance with obtained information quantities for displaying the shape of each hair module. The hair model can be displayed on interactive controlled man-made machines such as personal computers.
Motion is usually defined by the solution to differential equations. Attempts have been made to simulate systems described by partial differential equations. One example of that is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,202 which is a method and apparatus for simulating systems described by partial differential equations.
The use of computer generated images on a display in video games is well known. An example of a more recent advancement in the video game area is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,080. This patent provides a method for controlling the display of a game character's movement in a video game. The method includes the steps of displaying a first play field screen on an upper portion of a video display screen using an interlace video screen rendering technique. A second play field is disclosed on the lower portion of the display screen also using interlace video screen rendering techniques. The movement of a first game character within the first play field screen is provided from an input user device. The control of a second game character within the second play field screen is provided from a second input user device.
The processing of the video images is also well known. A recent method was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,158 wherein a video processing apparatus included a video random access memory "VRAM" in which imaged data of original background picture was stored. An address of a VRAM, in a case where the original background picture is rotated and enlarged or reduced, is calculated by a background picture address control circuit on the basis of a constant set by a CPU. Color data of the background picture, at the time of the rotation process and enlargement or reduction process is read from the address of the VRAM and a video signal, is generated by the color data.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,307, there is provided a method for displaying a video game character traversing a video game play field. The system that executes the method includes a video screen display, a user graphics controller and a digital memory. The video game character follows a path within the play field wherein the method of following the path includes the steps of storing multiple collision blocks that define respective path segments; dividing the play fields into multiple path blocks that comprise the path; storing character collision type information; storing references from individual path blocks to individual collision blocks; displaying character movements through the play field from path block to path block along the path in response to user inputs to the graphics controller; controlling the display of the character movement by causing the character image to follow a path defined by the path segment of individual collision blocks; and challenging the stored character collision type information when the character path passes a prescribed location on the play field.
Many times, there are multiple game characters displayed. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,151, there was disclosed a method for controlling the motion of two game characters in a video game for use in a system which included a video display screen, a user control graphics controller, a memory, a first user input device and a second user input device; wherein movement of the first game character is responsive to the first user input device and movement of the second game character is responsive to the second user input device; wherein the video game involves the game characters traversing a playing field which is displayed as a series of video screen images. The method includes the steps of providing a succession of game character movement commands to the first user input device in order to control the movement of the first game character through the play field; displaying a succession of movements of the first character within the play field in response to successive commands provided to the first user input device; storing the succession commands provided to the first user input device and the digital memory and displaying the successive movements of the second character through the play field in response to the succession of the stored input devices.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,802 entitled "Computer Simulation Playback Method and Simulation", there was disclosed a computer simulated playback method including the steps of recording commands entered during the use of a simulation; operating the simulating demands with the recorded commands and allowing new commands to be entered at any point during the step of operating the simulations with the recorded commands. More specifically, the inventive method runs a simulation on a computer system that includes a user input device and a visual display. Images are shown in the display and the person using this simulation enters commands through the user input device. The commands effect the images shown on the visual display and are recorded in the sequence that were entered. The method then runs the simulation again and automatically enters the recorded commands at the same sequence that they were recorded so that substantially the same images that were produced when the commands were initially entered are displayed again. During the steps, new commands can be entered. When certain new commands are entered, the recorded commands are prompted and the user can use the simulation anew from the point where the new commands were entered.